Challenge Based Learning A Classroom Guide

Transcription

1 apple Challenge Based Learning A Classroom Guide

2 Contents Introduction to Challenge Based Learning 3 Teacher Planning and Preparation 4 Understanding the Process 4 Access to Technology and a Collaborative Workspace 5 Defining the Student Products 5 Determining Assessment Strategies 7 School and Community Partnerships 8 Knowing Your Evolving Role 8 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom 9 Stage 1: From Big Idea to the Challenge 9 Stage 2: Setting the Foundation for the Solution 11 Stage 3: Identifying a Solution 13 Stage 4: Implementation and Evaluation 13 Stage 5: Publishing Results and Reflections 15 Frequently Asked Questions 16 Resources Setting the Stage 18 Big Ideas and Essential Questions 19 Preparation Checklist 20 Standards and Assessment 22 Thoughts on Standards 23 Sample CBL Rubric 25 Assessment Ideas 26 Supporting the Process 27 Roles and Responsibilities 28 Guiding Questions, Resources, and Activities Matrix 29 Group Challenge Guide 30 Technology Guide 32 Reflection Prompts 33 CBL Team Contract 34 Publishing 36 Challenge Proposal Storyboard 37 Solution Storyboard 38 Video Specifications 39 Thank You Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, FaceTime, ichat, imac, imovie, iphone, iphoto, ipod touch, isight, itunes, iwork, Mac, Mac OS, MacBook, Numbers, Pages, QuickTime, Safari, and Snow Leopard are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ipad and iweb are trademarks of Apple Inc. MobileMe is a service mark of Apple Inc. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 2

3 Introduction to Challenge Based Learning Challenge Based Learning is a collaborative learning experience in which teachers and students work together to learn about compelling issues, propose solutions to real problems, and take action. The approach asks students to reflect on their learning and the impact of their actions and publish their solutions to a worldwide audience. Students today have instant access to information through technology and the web, manage their own acquisition of knowledge through informal learning, and have progressed beyond consumers of content to become producers and publishers. As a result, traditional teaching and learning methods are becoming less effective at engaging students and motivating them to achieve. Today s students are presented with content-centric assignments that meet standards but lack a real-world context and opportunities for active participation. Because these assignments often fail to engage students, they can lead to uninspired work and a gradual process of disengagement. Studies from the National Center for Education Statistics show that more than 30% of students drop out before the end of their first year of high school. Fortunately, the disengagement process can be reversed, and one of the most effective strategies for doing so as reported by students themselves is more relevant, challenging coursework (John M. Bridgeland, John J. Dilulio, Jr., Karen Burke Morison, The Silent Epidemic: Perspectives of High School Dropouts, Civic Enterprises in association with Peter D. Hart Research Associates for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, March 2006). To address this need, Apple Inc. worked with teachers and leaders in the education community to develop a new approach to teaching and learning called Challenge Based Learning, an engaging, multidisciplinary approach that starts with standardsbased content and lets students leverage the technology they use in their daily lives to solve complex, real-world problems. Challenge Based Learning is collaborative and hands on, asking students to work with other students, their teachers, and experts in their communities and around the world to develop deeper knowledge of the subjects they are studying, identify and solve challenges, make a difference in their community, and share their results with the world. The interdisciplinary, cooperative, and applied nature of Challenge Based Learning makes it perfect for students of all ages. This guide is for educators from elementary grades to higher education who want to implement Challenge Based Learning in their learning environment. The guide includes specific recommendations for planning and implementing Challenge Based Learning and includes best practices, practical tips, frequently asked questions, and ways to adapt the approach for younger students. The Appendix contains a collection of resources designed to facilitate the Challenge Based Learning process. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 3

4 Teacher Planning and Preparation Best Practices Challenge Based Learning mirrors the 21st century workplace. To stay true to its intent, make sure participants: Work in collaborative groups Use technology commonly used in daily life Tackle real-world problems using a multidisciplinary approach Share the results with the world Challenge Based Learning mirrors the 21st century workplace. Students work in collaborative groups and use technology to tackle real-world issues in the context of their school, family, or local community. For teachers, the task is to work with students to take multidisciplinary standards-based content, connect it to what is happening in the world today, and translate it into an experience in which students make a difference in their community. Accomplishing this goal necessitates giving students structure, support, checkpoints, and the right tools to get their work done successfully, while allowing them enough freedom to be self-directed, creative, and inspired. Understanding the Process Challenge Based Learning begins with a big idea and cascades to the following: the essential question; the challenge; guiding questions, activities, and resources; determining and articulating the solution; taking action by implementing the solution; assessment; and publishing the solution and sharing it with the world. Reflection and informative assessment are an important part of the process at every stage as they reinforce learning and prepare students for what is coming next. The Framework Big Idea Essential Question The Challenge Guiding Questions Guiding Activities Guiding Resources: Web and itunes U Solution: Implementation Evaluation/Assessment Publishing: Student Solutions Publishing: Student Reflections Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 4

5 Teacher Planning and Preparation Best Practices Connect standards-based subject matter to 21st century content and skills. The teacher s role is that of project manager or mentor. Let students determine the direction of their research and solution. Students have the opportunity to act on their solutions. For Younger Students Due to age restrictions and the complexity of some online tools, you may need to enlist the assistance of parents or restrict the use of these tools to the school day. Although teacher involvement throughout the Challenge Based Learning process is crucial, its nature changes as students progress through its stages. Early on when you introduce Challenge Based Learning to your students and set up the challenge you are making decisions, communicating information, teaching skills, and answering questions about how the process works and what is expected of your students. In the middle stages, students take charge of planning and researching their own work and you serve primarily as a project manager and mentor working alongside the students, helping them through the rough spots and keeping them on track. In the later stages, students are deeply engaged in their own work while you ensure that they have mastered the required knowledge and skills through appropriate assessments. Finally, you will transition into the role of product manager supporting the students as they implement, evaluate, and publish their solutions and results. Challenge Based Learning emphasizes exploring topics from many angles and through the lens of multiple disciplines, which allows students to appreciate the natural connections between subject areas that might not always be evident. As a result, it works especially well when teachers from different disciplines work together. Just as working in collaborative groups teaches students important life skills, teachers who have implemented Challenge Based Learning in teams report that collaboration with other teachers is one of the most beneficial and enjoyable aspects of the approach for their own professional growth and development. Access to Technology and a Collaborative Workspace Challenge Based Learning requires real-world tools, so you and your students will need ubiquitous access to technology that is commonly used in 21st century life and work. This ideally includes computers, rich media creation tools, the Internet, and mobile devices for anytime, anywhere access to information, content, and communication. In addition, because you and your students will work in teams and not all of the work will take place during class, you will need a collaborative workspace that is available to everyone 24/7. At a minimum, the workspace will include a calendar, a place to store notes, documents, and other digital assets such as PDFs, video clips, and audio and video podcasts. A variety of resources are available to create collaborative workspaces. Examples are: Apple tools: iweb, iwork.com, MobileMe, and the resources included with Mac OS X Server Snow Leopard provide a set of tools for building a collaborative environment to support challenges. Wikis and other free web-based tools can be configured to work with classrooms and community groups. Defining the Student Products Throughout the challenge the students, both in teams and as individuals, have the opportunity to create a variety of products, including: a challenge proposal video, a set of guiding questions, research plans and results, solutions with beta testing plans and evaluation parameters, a solution video, student journals, and individual reflection videos. The quantity and depth of products will depend on where the students enter the process, their grade levels, and the length of the challenge. At the beginning of the challenge, teachers and students should work together to define the products and determine how they will be assessed. Examples of potential student products include: The challenge proposal. Student teams produce a short (one-to-two minute) video that states the big idea, the essential question, and the challenge, including why the Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 5

6 Teacher Planning and Preparation challenge is important. The proposal should be presented in a compelling manner that will act as an invitation to others to join them in finding solutions. Guiding questions. Once the challenge has been determined, students generate sets of questions that will guide their search for a solution. The question sets should be extensive and represent the needs of each group member. Best Practice Clearly define the products the students will create during the challenge and how they will be evaluated. Research plan and timeline. This product is created by the students to organize and document their efforts to research and answer the guiding questions. A well-prepared plan will ensure a thorough and organized learning experience as students search for a solution. The plan also provides a way to manage the learning experience. The teacher serves as a guide or mentor to insure the timeline and milestones are appropriate for the time allotted for the challenge. Implementation and evaluation plans. Once a solution is developed, students will create an implementation and evaluation plan. The plan should include an in-depth description of the solution, how it was determined, where it will be implemented, the participants, and how success will be measured. If time is available, the plan can include a beta testing process with multiple cycles of evaluation. Solution video. After the solution has been implemented and evaluated, each team creates a video presenting the solution to the world. This video includes information about the group, a statement of the challenge, why this challenge is important in their specific context, how it was implemented, how it was measured, and whether it was a success. Students should be collecting video, audio, and images throughout the experience to be used in the solution video. Student journals, written or video. Provide students with the opportunity to document their personal and group experience through written journals (blogs, wikis, social networking communities) or video journals. You will want to make sure that you can access the journals to track progress and include them as part of the evaluation process. Final reflection videos. At the conclusion of the experience, the students reflect on what they learned about the content, process, and overall experience. Providing a series of prompts will allow the students to organize and present their ideas in a concise manner. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 6

7 Teacher Planning and Preparation Determining Assessment Strategies Best Practice Evaluate school and district standards and assessments when determining your Challenge Based Learning plan. In deciding how to assess your students learning and their final products, place appropriate emphasis on three areas: content knowledge and understanding, mastery of real-world skills, and the process of Challenge Based Learning. Challenge Based Learning helps students develop deeper knowledge and understanding in core subject areas as well as 21st Century Content, Learning and Innovation Skills, and Life and Career Skills. To prepare yourself and your students for evaluating their work, you will want to think through two kinds of assessment strategies: informative and summative. Informative assessment occurs continuously throughout the process, guiding and facilitating learning, while summative assessment evaluates progress at checkpoints or at the conclusion. Keep in mind that because Challenge Based Learning is collaborative and uses technology, students often work in informal team settings or online and therefore are routinely exposed to a variety of continuous feedback that can either deepen learning or cause confusion, depending on how they use it. For example, in addition to teacher feedback, students will receive feedback from other students who are working in the same physical and virtual workspaces and through joint development of wikis, blog responses, text messaging, verbal interactions, or video/audio responses. This is also the case when students produce their solutions and publish to the web: peers, parents and family, experts, and others will provide feedback. More formal sources of informative assessment also vary considerably and might include student journals, peer reviews, teacher observations, student-teacher conferences, interim work reviews (based on rubrics), and others. Good Idea Include student input when determining assessment strategies. To prepare your students for interpreting and using all feedback beneficially, schedule regular checkpoints with them in teams and individually during which you can help them clarify goals, process steps and timelines, and encourage reflection. While Challenge Based Learning puts much of the responsibility in the hands of students, this is one area where your role as teacher is vital. The more you know about each group s progress and the feedback they are getting from all sources, the better you can offer a guiding hand when needed. Examples of some prompts you can use during these checkpoints are: What part of the process are you working on this week? What new knowledge or skills have you acquired this week? What has been your biggest success this week? What has been your biggest challenge this week? How is your group doing as a team? What are your top priorities for next week? Summative assessment can take a variety of forms to meet the needs of your particular situation. With Challenge Based Learning a summative event is built in with the completion and implementation of the solution. The solution will be tested in the real world and students will receive immediate and direct feedback. Consideration needs to be given on how to evaluate students at both the group and individual level. Students can be evaluated using traditional school and district assessments to determine subject and content knowledge. Other ideas include oral defenses, conference presentations, and job evaluations for the specific role they served on their team. It is important to determine the summative evaluations during the planning process and provide the students with specific expectations and rubrics. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 7

8 Teacher Planning and Preparation Including real-world summative assessments such as job evaluations and conference presentations provides students with skills that will serve them well in the workforce. Best Practice Look for government, business, community, or university partners to help identify relevant big ideas. These organizations also can be an excellent resource during the guiding activities phase. Best Practice Resist the temptation to jump in and find the solutions for your students. Good Idea Create a wiki or collaborative space with general tips, resources, and self-guided technical help tools to support your students throughout the process. School and Community Partnerships Challenge Based Learning asks your students to take action on their solutions at home, at school, or in the larger community. You can pave the way for them by helping them find community partners and spreading the word. As you plan the challenge, build in time to identify possible community partners, set up meetings with stakeholders, and send news releases to those who might be involved. If students will attempt to change the way the school uses paper, for example, make sure to inform other teachers and administrators so that the students campaign for change does not come as a surprise. If the solution is a long one, keep the community interested with short updates and meetings. Students can work on this too; assign each group to write a weekly news flash about what they have discovered and what they are planning, then compile and distribute them via local newspapers, blogs, and community forums. Knowing Your Evolving Role One of the biggest differences between Challenge Based Learning and more traditional approaches to teaching and learning is what it asks of schools and teachers. With Challenge Based Learning, schools evolve from being information repositories to places where students can acquire real-world knowledge, solve authentic real-world challenges, and develop skills they can use to solve complex problems for the rest of their lives. Similarly, teachers become more than information experts; they become collaborators in learning leveraging the power of students, seeking new knowledge alongside students, and modeling positive habits of mind and new ways of thinking and learning. The role of collaborator can be a difficult one for teachers who are unaccustomed to it. You may be tempted to rush the process, over-engineer the activities, and point out solutions to students. However, it is vital to give students space and time to make mistakes, follow false paths, and correct their own course. You do not need to personally know the solutions to the challenge. In fact, if you are doing it right, you won t know them beforehand. The problems are big as well as real and the challenges will not be simple to solve. Many right answers will exist, and the role of the teacher in Challenge Based Learning is to find the solutions with the students, not for them. Trust that this will happen, and resist the temptation to do it for them. Having said that, keep in mind that while students focus on each discrete part of the Challenge Based Learning process, they may find it very difficult to keep the larger picture in mind, especially at first. As the project manager, you can help them understand when it is time to finish up one stage in the process and move on to another. Remind them to keep their calendars and work plans current and handy. Help them learn to manage their time. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 8

9 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom The Challenge Based Experience can be grouped into five interrelated stages. This section reviews the elements of each stage and provides practical tips and resources for implementation. The Resources section at the end of the document contains a variety of teachercreated materials to support the entire process. Stage 1: From Big Idea to the Challenge Good Idea Use technology (itunes U, FaceTime, ichat) to expose your students to a wide variety of global and local experts and issues. For Younger Students The big ideas, essential questions, and challenges will vary depending on the grade level of the students. For example, an essential question related to conflict and human nature for younger students might be How can people who think, look, or act differently get along? The challenge might be Improve relationships at your school. Start by working with students to identify the big idea. A big idea is one that is important on a global scale and that students can work with to gain the deep multidisciplinary content knowledge and understanding that is required by the standards for their grade level. A good place to look for big ideas is in the major news stories of the day. Examples are: Sustainability of natural resources such as water, food, energy, and air Climate change and its effect on the planet Public health threats such as pandemics Economy downturns, recovery, and growth Conflict and human nature Personal, group, or cultural identity Health and wellness Next, work together to formulate the essential question, which serves as the link between your lives and the big idea. The question should be answerable through research, help focus students efforts, and provide a framework for the challenge. Examples of essential questions connected to big ideas are: Sustainability: What is the impact of my water consumption on my community? Climate change: What is the impact of my use of fossil fuels on my planet? Public health: How does my personal access to healthcare affect global disease pandemics? Economy: How does graduating from high school or college affect the economy? Conflict: How do views on race, ethnicity, and nationality contribute to conflicts? Identity: What groups do I belong to and what roles do I play? Health and wellness: How do my personal food choices affect the health and wellness of my community? Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 9

10 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom Best Practice Select the challenge carefully and make it real and meaningful. The challenge turns the essential question into a call to action by charging participants with developing a local solution to a global problem. A challenge is immediate and actionable. Choosing and setting up the challenge is crucial. If it is interesting and sufficiently close to home, students will derive personal meaning and feel a sense of accomplishment upon proposing and implementing a solution. If the challenge also has greater global significance, students will gain confidence and self-esteem as they engage with issues they know to be truly important. If the challenge is too broad or vague, students will flounder. If it is too narrow, they will not be able to fully experience the self-direction that is required to develop the skills that Challenge Based Learning cultivates. Challenges should be difficult and have multiple possibilities for solutions. The amount of time your students have to work on the challenge is also important. Some challenges can be addressed in a day or a week while others need a semester or even an entire school year. If the challenge is too big for the allotted time, students will feel pressured or frustrated. If it is too small, they will quickly lose interest. Finally, it is important for the challenge to be real and meaningful to the students. If a challenge is contrived or something that the students cannot personally connect with, they will not be fully engaged in the process. Examples of challenges drawn from the big ideas and essential questions above are: Best Practice Reinforce that the challenge presents students with a chance to take action on a global problem locally and make a positive difference in their school, family, or community. Sustainability: Reduce your family s (or your school s) water consumption. Climate change: Reduce your family s (or your school s) use of fossil fuels. Public health: Increase the availability of flu vaccines to children in your community. Economy: Increase the percentage of students in your class who stay in school for one more year. Conflict: Improve tolerance at your school. Identity: Create opportunities for group dialogues at your school. Health and wellness: Increase the number of healthy food choices served at school (or at home). Once the students understand the challenge, organize them into teams so they can begin the search for a solution. Demonstrate the collaborative workspace you have set up and reinforce that you expect them to use it to store and share notes, documents, and other digital assets, and to collaborate and communicate throughout the process. Introduce them to any other technology that they will use during the process, including cameras and applicable software. Best Practice Schedule regular checkpoints with your students to ensure that they are on track and using feedback to improve their work. Tips for Stage 1 Brainstorming. If your students are not familiar with brainstorming, hold a short session on how to do this. Make sure they understand that all ideas are welcome and every contribution gets recorded. Value judgments are not permitted, whether good ( great idea! ) or bad ( that would never work! ), and everyone s voice gets to be heard. Make sure students have an easy way to record ideas rapidly. Time management. Because Challenge Based Learning usually unfolds over an extended period of time, students might need help managing their time in each stage. Work with them to set realistic goals and expectations. If students spend too much time on one stage, they will not have enough time for subsequent stages, and they may feel frustrated and bogged down. You can help by providing them with scheduling tools and suggestions for how much time is appropriate to spend on each stage. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 10

11 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom Sources of Research itunes U, the largest repository of free vetted education content Scientific or government websites Online journals and periodicals Online special interest communities School or public library Local, state, and federal government officials Faculty at local colleges and universities Staff at museums, historical sites, and science centers Local experts, senior citizens, and hobbyists Technology. If the technology being used is new to the students, set aside time for learning how to use it. Also plan for troubleshooting and dealing with unexpected setbacks. Provide very clear guidelines about technical specifications for videos, web material, or other formats. Research skills. To prepare for the challenge, you may need to include a review of Internet research skills, including identifying keywords to use in their search for information and recognizing the many different types of available resources. Provide guidance and resources to help students assess the validity of resources. Form working groups. Students should consider working in groups of four or five. Reinforce that each group is responsible for its own research, solution, implementation, analysis, and final product. This gives the students an opportunity to work collaboratively while also leaving room for a variety of solutions to the same problem and for final products in a variety of formats. Student roles and tasks. Reinforce that during the process, students will need to play a wide variety of roles. They will be researchers, scientists, writers, interviewers, and information producers and publishers. They will be photographers, videographers, scriptwriters, and actors. Ultimately, they will be agents for change. Some of these roles will be new to them; reassure them that you will help them succeed. Explain also that throughout the Challenge Based Learning process, you will serve as a project manager and mentor to answer questions, provide examples of such things as lists of guiding questions, activities, and resources, and lists of possible solutions to a challenge. Teamwork. To help students become comfortable in their groups, provide guidelines for how to divide the work and give students tools to make meaningful contributions to the success of the team. For example, schedule class time to work on skills such as conflict resolution and attentive listening. Establish a safe space where groups can air issues they are having, and encourage them to work out differences in a positive way. Have each group draw up a contract or outline that clearly states team member roles and perhaps even rules for group discussions that are developed by the students themselves. Schedule expectations. By now, students will want to know how much time they will have to do all the work that has been outlined. Be very clear about the time frame: Do they have a week? Four weeks? Provide a scheduling template that gives a general idea of when each stage of the process should begin and end. Stage 2: Setting the Foundation for the Solution During the second stage of the process, students identify the guiding questions (what they need to know) and identify resources and activities to answer their questions. Remind them that they have many options for their guiding activities and resources: they can use the Internet, the school or public library, their social networks, or interview local experts in person or experts located anywhere in the world via the web. Guiding questions. Armed with the big idea, the essential question, and the challenge, your students can now generate their own guiding questions to identify the knowledge they will need to understand to develop a solution to the challenge. For example, if the big idea is water, guiding questions might include: How do we use water? How much water do we use? How is water wasted? How much water is wasted? How can water be conserved? Where does water come from? This is a critical phase of the Challenge Based Learning process. Make sure the students develop an extensive list of guiding questions as this will guide their learning and ultimately the validity of their solutions. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 11

12 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom For Younger Students Depending on your students grade level and skills, you may want to preselect websites that are at an appropriate reading level for them. You should approve research sources and preselect them where appropriate. Guiding activities. Next, the students identify and engage in guiding activities, including simulations, research, games, calculations, expert interviews, surveys, and other activities that help them acquire the knowledge needed to answer the guiding questions and to develop an innovative, insightful, and realistic solution. Guiding activities might include: searching the web for basic information about water and the top issues about water; having a video chat with a representative from the local water district to identify ways to reduce water consumption; calculating how much water they and their families use with the H20 calculator available from the National Wildlife Foundation; or using the Surf Your Watershed site provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to locate the community s watershed. Guiding resources. Explain to students that guiding resources need to connect to their questions and activities. For example, if one of the questions is How much water does our school use?, sources might include interviewing administrative personnel at the school or in the city s utilities division. You can support your students work by offering guiding resources, a focused set of relevant and credible resources that you have chosen that might include podcasts, websites, videos, databases, contact information for experts, and other types of content that will be helpful during these stages. Good Idea Have students utilize their social networks to expand their research beyond their local community. Tips for Stage 2 Guiding questions. To get started with guiding questions, ask students to brainstorm everything they know about the challenge and what they still need to discover to find a solution to their challenge. Ask them what they are curious about and what kinds of facts will help them make before and after measurements. Also ask them to identity the real-world jobs, departments, or offices that deal with issues related to their questions so they have places to go and people to talk to during their research. While it is important to allow the students to come up with their own questions, showing them a sample set is helpful. Make sure that they conduct thorough and thoughtful research as this sets the foundation for determining an suitable solution. Discourage the tendency to rush to a solution or to adopt the first solution that they identify. Guiding activities. For help with guiding activities, suggest the following steps: Have students create a three-column matrix with their guiding questions in the first column and activities/resources in the second column that will help them answer the questions. After the activities are completed, the results are placed in the third column. For a sample layout for this document, see Guiding Questions, Resources, and Activities Matrix, in the Resources section later in this document. List everything they already know about the topic, then use Internet research to identify current topic-related issues to add to their knowledge base. Do local research to discover the particular issues, advantages, disadvantages, needs, and aspects of their community connected to the topic, using local papers, public offices, and interviews of key community persons. Conduct surveys and opinion polls that can be used to gather information from the stakeholders. Expand their scope to include interviews or interactions with experts from around the world. Help students identify people and help them make contact via the Internet. Identify their own personal connection with the topic; for instance, each student calculates how much paper, water, or fuel he or she uses, keeps track of food consumption over a period of time, or interviews family members to find out about his or her family s experiences with community or cultural issues. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 12

13 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom Provide (just) enough structure. Challenge Based Learning is meant to be a free flowing stage in which students are allowed to search, struggle, re-focus, and learn through making mistakes. The amount of structure that you need to provide depends on the maturity of the students. Give them freedom to explore, but make sure there are boundaries so they do not get lost. Good Idea Remind students that they will be implementing the solution, so it should be something they can do with the time and resources available. Stage 3: Identifying a Solution Having thoroughly researched the guiding questions, the students now have a solid foundation to begin identifying a variety of possible solutions. They should select one solution through prototyping, experimentation, or other means. Next, they fully research, document, and develop that solution and then identify steps to carry out their implementation plan. Although the exploration of the challenge will lend itself to multiple solutions, each group needs to select a single solution to develop and implement. Encourage them to use prototypes, descriptions, or sketches to select a single solution per group. The group continues to develop this solution, including listing action steps, needed materials and where they will obtain them, responsibilities for each group member, any relevant timing considerations, how success will be measured, and so on. All of these decisions are organized into a work plan. Along the way, students begin to plan how they want to implement and document their solution and identify the appropriate audiences. Tips for Stage 3 Brainstorm, select, and plan solutions. Coming up with and considering many solutions before selecting one is a key element of Challenge Based Learning. The solution. The solution they choose may involve a campaign to inform and/or convince family, peers, or community members about the need for change; specific steps that could be taken to address their challenge on an ongoing basis; school or community improvement projects; and other activities. Encourage the students to be creative in designing and carrying out their solutions and to document their activities. Releases. You may need to obtain certain releases, either from parents, community members, or other students if your students will film them (such as for interviews or to produce a video project). A parental release form also may be needed for students who are to appear in videos. Check with your school administrative offices to see if policies are in place that you should follow. Stage 4: Implementation and Evaluation After identifying their solutions, the students will implement them, measure outcomes, reflect on what worked and what didn t, and determine whether they made progress in addressing the challenge. When implementation is complete, students share their work with the rest of the world. In their research plan, the students decide what they will measure and how often so they can be consistent throughout the implementation phase. For instance, if the challenge is to reduce the school s paper footprint, they might want to keep track of how much paper is used per day. Once they decide what to measure, the students can determine a baseline by taking current measurements over a few days or a week. Students should also choose the method or methods they will use to capture the information. For example, if they are reducing the school s paper use, will the team personally check to see how much paper is used? Will they rely on surveys or Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 13

14 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom questionnaires? Will they interview people? They may even take photos or video to illustrate ways paper is being used. Creating this plan at the beginning will help the team members collect similar data that can be compared throughout the process. The teams can make a notebook or set up an online workspace to record measurements every hour, day, or week (or whatever frequency they decide on). If they will use surveys or questionnaires, students will need prepare the questions and determine the delivery method. If students will interview people, they need to write questions and set up the logistics for the interviews. Best Practice Provide adequate time for implementation and observation. Once the trial period is over, students conduct the final measurements (observations, surveys, interviews, and so on) at the times they have determined. Encourage them to consider collecting information right after your trial period ends and some more a few days later. They will get a better idea of whether people s habits actually changed as a result of the solution. When students have collected all of their data, they begin the analysis process. Did anything change? Did it change the way they had hoped? In addition to comparing the beginning and ending data, the students can look for trends. When did the biggest change take place? What can they say about how people behaved at different times during the trial? Using this information, they can determine and explain whether the solution had the desired effect. Tips for Stage 4 Keep everyone informed. Some of the students solutions will involve activities outside of normal classroom hours and beyond the boundaries of your school. At the start of the process, inform parents that you are taking your students through a process of Challenge Based Learning so they are not surprised if their students need help from them to connect with resources in the community. Ask for parent volunteers to assist in ensuring that all students have the support they need to complete their solutions. Provide examples of data. Throughout the process provide students with examples of different types of data. Help them to understand the difference between quantitative and qualitative data. This is a good time to get the math teachers involved if they are not already. Data collection tools. Which tool (or tools) that the students select for collecting data is critical for analyzing the success of their solution. Spend some time going through the different types of collection tools along with their advantages and disadvantages. iwork, which includes Pages and Numbers, is great for collecting and analyzing data. You can also use MobileMe or Snow Leopard Server to share the files among the team members. Use technology. Mobile and web-based technologies have made data collection, analysis, and visualization easier than ever. Use these tools to extend the breadth and depth of the research efforts. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 14

15 Challenge Based Learning in the Classroom Stage 5: Publishing Results and Reflections Best Practice The solution and reflection videos should be shared with your local community and the world. Throughout the project students document their experience using audio, video, and photography. Near the culmination of the challenge, students build their solution video and record their reflections. The three-to-five minute solution video should include a description of the challenge, a brief description of the learning process, the solution, and the results of the implementation. Students are encouraged to keep individual written, audio, or video journals throughout the process. As a culminating event, students can be provided a series of prompts for final reflections about what they learned about the subject matter and the process. The solution video, reflection videos, and any supporting documents can be shared with the world through web-based communities. It is also a good practice to have a public event with all of the participants at the school or in the community to celebrate their efforts and thank those who have assisted. Tips for Stage 5 Provide resources and examples. Have your students explore the growing set of solution videos available on the web to get a sense of what they are expected to produce. Have them develop storyboards and scripts prior to editing the video. Plan ahead. When students reach the publishing step, they will want to have a large amount of media to work with when creating their solutions video. Encourage students to create media collection plans for all portions of the challenge process. Keep organized. Create a common naming convention for folders and media files. The video creation process will be much easier if all media is organized and easily accessible. Emphasize the importance of developing a storyboard and script before they create the video. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 15

16 Frequently Asked Questions My school does not make a computer and/or a mobile device available for every student. Can I still use Challenge Based Learning? Yes. Build extra time into your schedule to allow students to access school computers during class, especially during the research phase and while students create their presentations. Consider allowing students to use their personal technology. I would like to try Challenge Based Learning, but my schedule is very tight. Can I fit this into a week s worth of classes? Yes. A challenge can be completed in as much or as little time as you would like. You will still choose the big idea, the essential question, and the challenge. Also, make sure that the challenge you design for your students is one they can address in the amount of available time. You also need to streamline certain stages of the process. For example, while students still work in groups to develop guiding questions, do research, propose solutions, and create a final product, the implementation of the challenge can be limited to individual students working on their own. But remember, when students engage in this type of learning, they don t want to stop working on their projects when the school day is over. Explore ways in which you can help your students continue working beyond the school day. Do I need to collaborate with other teachers at my school, or can I go it alone? Collaboration with other teachers is a best practice for Challenge Based Learning. It helps ensure that the content is multidisciplinary and it allows for students to immerse themselves in content and draw connections between subjects. However, a single teacher and a single class can successfully complete a challenge. You can also collaborate virtually with teachers in other schools in your community or beyond. I m concerned about whether my students will master the material they need to know. They have statewide tests coming up. How can I be sure they will learn what they need through Challenge Based Learning? As the teachers in the pilots found, the Challenge Based Learning process lends itself to content mastery. By the end of the pilot, nearly every teacher observed that students had mastered the content well beyond expectations. Many felt that the depth of student learning was remarkable, in fact, much greater than anticipated. Students engaged with the content, worked harder than expected, and demonstrated good critical thinking and collaboration skills. Your task as a teacher is to facilitate this by starting with standards-based content and connecting it to 21st century content and skills throughout the process. Build basic skill practice into the activities and students will see a purpose for gaining the skills. Some of my students don t even want to be in school. How can I get them to feel engaged in this? The research study found that even students who tended to disengage from school were excited and interested in Challenge Based Learning. Because it connects schoolwork with real life, and because it is structured so differently from what many students are used to, Challenge Based Learning is engaging, even for at-risk students. Your task as a teacher is to present the process and especially the challenge in a realworld context and in an involving and motivating way. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 16

17 Frequently Asked Questions I have students who can t read. How can they do research? You can use cooperative and multigrade groupings in which students can work with each other to find and discuss research. Bring experts to your classroom so students can listen. Take advantage of the many video resources that exist on the web so students can watch, listen, and learn. Enable the text-to-speech feature of the Mac OS. Where can I learn more about Challenge Based Learning? Visit the Challenge Based Learning website for tips, suggestions for big ideas and challenges, additional descriptions of the pilot program, and more. The site is available at Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 17

18 Resources Setting the Stage Setting a solid foundation for the Challenge Based Learning experience is critical for a successful experience. The resources in this section will assist in organizing the process, keeping student teams on track, and getting started with big ideas. These resources have been developed and contributed by educators who have participated in Challenge Based Learning efforts at all grade levels. They are offered not as required documents but as ideas available for you to use and to adapt to meet your particular needs. As you create new resources, please share them with the Challenge Based Learning community. Big Ideas and Essential Questions A collection of big ideas to start your thinking. Remember to also explore your local community for big ideas. Preparation Checklist A document designed to assist with preparing for the Challenge Based Learning experience. CBL Timeline Template A tool for planning and keeping track of the process. It is important to set clear deadlines for the process and products. Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 18

19 Setting the Stage Big Ideas and Essential Questions The world is full of potential challenges. Read the news, talk with community leaders, connect with college and university faculty, visit itunes U, and so on. As you and your students explore big ideas and essential questions, keep in mind your district and school curriculum, community issues/needs, and student interest. Addressing all of these needs will result in a more meaningful and educational Challenge Based Learning experience. Health What kind of snack/drinks would be best during the morning school session? How can we protect children from the spread of disease? What can be done about childhood obesity? Relationships How do we stop bullying on the playground? How do we build communities beyond cliques? How can we cross cultural boundaries? History How do we preserve historical sites? How can we honor our veterans? How do we honor the contributions of diverse cultures? Sustainability How can we consume less? How can we reduce our carbon footprint? How can we reduce our paper consumption? Education How do we make school more engaging? How do we prepare to compete in a global economy? What is the purpose of education? Environment How do we reduce air pollution? What is the impact of water pollution? Why is preserving wilderness important? Citizenship Why is citizenship important? How do we get the best and brightest to serve? How can we have equitable elections? Diversity Why is diversity important? What role does diversity play in our school or community? How do we respect and value diversity? Challenge Based Learning: A Classroom Guide 19